Emaar NYE 2025

Case Study: Emaar NYE 2025

Client: Emaar

Project: New Year’s Eve Live Broadcast

Location: Downtown Dubai (Burj Khalifa & Burj Park)

Years Active: 2013–2019, Returned in 2023 for NYE 2024/NYE 2025

Production Partner: Whatever Live / Atlas Television

Executive Producer: Ean Thorley

Overview

Since 2013, we have been the broadcast production partner for Emaar’s iconic New Year’s Eve celebrations in Downtown Dubai. After a three-year break starting in 2020, we were invited back to deliver the live broadcast for NYE 2024 & NYE25, marking our ninth production of this globally viewed event.

Challenge

Each year presents new logistical, creative, and technical challenges:

  • Evolving Show Format: The NYE show has changed significantly over the years, requiring adaptive camera planning.
  • Complex Cityscape: Finding suitable camera locations amid a dense and high-rise urban environment.
  • Large-scale Coordination: Managing multi-camera coverage, live performances, and integration with global live feeds.
  • Visual Effects Timing: Synchronizing coverage with fireworks, lights, and lasers—even when real effects cannot be used during rehearsals.

Approach

Camera Strategy

  • Initial broadcasts used over 22 cameras.
  • Through performance reviews, we optimized the workflow and reduced to an average of 10/14 cameras, without compromising coverage quality.

Coverage Zones

  • Burj Khalifa: Main fireworks and laser show and fountain shows
  • Burj Park: A now-ticketed venue featuring DJs, bands, and live performances for on-site audiences.

Pre-Production & Planning

  • Location Recces: Conducted months in advance, including rooftop surveys for ideal camera placements.
  • Planning Sessions: Worked closely with Emaar and the broadcast team to finalize the camera narrative, production schedule, and running order.

On-Site Setup

  • OB Village Deployment: On December 26th, we established a full broadcast base at the Address Hotel, including OB trucks, grip trucks, generators, and satellite uplinks.

Rehearsals

  • Rehearsals began a few days before the event.
  • Without the use of real fireworks, we employed a detailed ‘Animatic’, a precise, second-by-second visual simulation of all fireworks, lighting, and laser sequences.
  • This animatic was critical for directors and assistant directors to cue visual effects and camera transitions accurately.

Execution

  • Broadcast Start: 17:00 on December 31st to LIVE SITES across Dubai.
  • Live Content: Continuous coverage of fountain shows, corporate films, and Burj Park performances.
  • Global Distribution via Fibre and Satellite
    • 20:00 – Live stream begins on YouTube and social media.
    • 23:00 – Live feed distributed globally via satellite.

Results

  • Seamless multi-platform broadcast reaching millions of viewers worldwide.
  • Successful coordination of live performances, technical effects, and city-wide live streaming.
  • Reinforced Emaar’s global brand presence as a producer of world-class events.

Key Takeaways

  • Adaptability is essential in recurring large-scale productions.
  • Technical rehearsal tools like animatics can substitute effectively for full-effect rehearsals.
  • Early planning, strong stakeholder alignment, and refined production workflows are crucial to live event success.

Whatever Live

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